The Game Difficulty Is Crazy
“Seeing it in person is no joke.”
Glen spoke while looking at the overwhelmingly large structure made entirely of crystal.
The Crystal Temple.
A structure that had existed for hundreds of years even before the Holy Papal State was founded under Miniss, the god of light and the sun. It was created with the strange technology of the ancients, a level of craftsmanship that could not be understood in the present age.
That “unfathomable technology” likely referred to the exquisitely detailed crystal statues standing on both sides of the temple entrance.
No matter how skilled a sculptor might be at carving glass or stone into statues of Miniss, carving crystal itself would be impossible.
‘Honestly, the real abnormal ones are those ancient people who carved something like this out of crystal.’
In any case, this temple marked the end point of the short yet long journey through Veronia.
With the hidden piece concealed inside as his goal, Glen stepped into the Crystal Temple without hesitation.
There were no notable obstacles as he passed through the wide-open main entrance.
Step—
The crystal tiles beneath his feet made a clear sound, like stepping on polished marble.
The inside of the Crystal Temple felt completely different from the outside.
Unlike the exterior, which inspired awe with its massive scale, the interior was a world of dazzling, intricate crystal—an artistic space in itself.
‘The visuals really are insane.’
From the neatly laid crystal floor, to the pillars stretching up to the ceiling, to the finely carved beast sculptures clinging to them—
Every single piece was a beautiful work of art that captured both the eyes and the heart.
It was a shame that the pillars, as structural supports, weren’t classified as items and thus couldn’t be stored in the Lunatic Inventory.
‘Well… it’s not like I’m short on money.’
Still, a waste was a waste.
Smacking his lips in regret, Glen continued walking down the long corridor.
Step, step—
His pace was relaxed, and the sword Ainheria, which he usually carried in hand, was nowhere to be seen.
This wasn’t the uncharted zone.
Inside the Crystal Temple, there was little chance of combat breaking out.
Of course, in games, temples often served as perfect wide arenas for fighting religious organizations or transcendent beings.
‘But this place is literally a temple that worships a god.’
A real temple where priests with devout hearts prayed to their god, recited scriptures, or conveyed divine will through oracles.
Just because he had come for a hidden piece didn’t mean he had to overcome trials like a dungeon or fight monsters or NPCs like he did back in the Wordsworth territory.
That said, it didn’t mean Glen would get the hidden piece for free either.
Unlike before, the hidden piece of the Crystal Temple had to be obtained directly from the god worshiped here.
It was a bit obvious to say this now, but Gray Eden had many transcendent beings known as gods.
So far, about three had been mentioned.
Miniss, the god of light and the sun worshiped by humans.
Nox, the god of darkness and the moon worshiped by demons.
And Mors, the god of harmony and tuning, the final boss of Gray Eden who wielded holy-demonic power.
But in truth, there were far more gods in this world.
From low-tier gods weaker than named NPCs, to high-tier gods capable of erasing an entire territory with a mere glance.
Just the number of gods known to Seong Yohan was already nearing triple digits.
Each god gathered followers with their own power, influencing the world in big and small ways.
The god worshiped in the Crystal Temple—Mirmias—was one of them.
Mirmias.
A low-tier god who governed mirrors and crystals, and one who uniquely kept only a single follower across generations.
‘The fact that the follower is always a beautiful woman of his taste makes him look suspiciously perverted.’
Even though they were transcendent beings, gods were surprisingly similar to humans.
They didn’t need to eat, yet enjoyed fine food.
They sought entertainment to escape boredom.
They preferred beauty over ugliness.
Mirmias was a god who followed those traits to the letter.
Step—
A light footstep echoed from ahead—one that clearly wasn’t Glen’s.
‘Yeah, that one’s no saint either.’
With a faint smile, Glen looked at the figure who appeared before him.
A woman with pale silver hair tinted faintly sky-blue, matching blue eyes, and a cold expression. She held a bow.
She looked as if she had been carved from blue crystal.
She was Sirenne, the sole believer, priest, and cult leader who served the low-tier god Mirmias.
“I thought it was a lost monster. I never expected a human to appear here.”
“Go back. There is nothing here that you want.”
A flat, emotionless warning.
Hearing such an indifferent human voice after so long oddly reminded Glen of the trainee knight, Tasha Pellevin.
‘Wonder how she’s doing.’
She was probably diligently learning how to be a proper Gray Wolf knight at Avenue Fortress. Nothing to worry about.
But nothing he wanted, huh?
It seemed Sirenne thought Glen was just a lost wanderer who had stumbled into the temple by accident.
“Uh, sorry, but I came here on purpose.”
“On purpose?”
Sirenne frowned, as if she were hearing complete nonsense.
“Yeah. I didn’t come here to escape monsters or a blizzard. I pushed through monsters and the blizzard to get here.”
“…Can you explain that in a way that actually makes sense? This isn’t something that happens often.”
An arrow that had been slung over her shoulder was now gripped in her right hand.
If Glen showed even the slightest suspicious movement, she was ready to subdue him immediately.
But to Glen, that sharp, guarded behavior only confirmed that Sirenne was no different from how she was in the original story.
‘If she’s the same, then I just follow the planned scenario.’
Hiding his crafty intentions behind a gentle smile, Glen spoke.
“I heard a rumor.”
“A rumor?”
“That inside a crystal structure north of Veronia, there’s enough treasure for descendants to live comfortably for generations.”
“Haah……”
A deep, exhausted sigh escaped her as she dropped her head.
And the moment she raised it—
Piiing—
An arrow brushed past Glen’s hair.
Glen’s eyes widened.
‘Oh?’
She could have hit him—but she deliberately missed.
